Managing a call on a communication system with an external display device

ABSTRACT

A communication system receives a request to establish a call between the communication system and a remote client device. The communication system sends a command to a television connected to the communication system that instructs the television to turn on and set its input source. The communication system requests a state of the television from the television. In response to receiving a response from the television indicating that the television configured for video output from the communication system, the communication system outputs video and audio received from the remote client device to the television, activates a camera of the communication system, and transmits video and audio from the communication system to the remote client device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/984,886, filed Aug. 4, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/930,550, filed Nov. 4, 2019, each ofwhich is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Video calling allows users to communicating with one another inreal-time. For example, a first user may use a client device to call theclient device of a second user to initiate a video call. During thevideo call, the first user's client device receives video and audiosignals via an internal camera and microphone and transmits the videoand audio signals over a network to the second user's client device.

SUMMARY

This disclosure details a communication system that answer andfacilitate a call via a television connected to the communicationsystem.

The communication system may answer a call and output video and audio toa television if the television is on and connected to the communicationsystem. In particular, the communication system receives a request toestablish a call between the communication system and a remote clientdevice via a network. For example, a user may initiate a call locallyvia the communication system or provide an input to answer an incomingcall. The communication system receives a user input to answer theincoming call and sends a command to the television connected to thecommunication system. The command instructs the television to turn onand change the input source of the television to a port associated withthe communication system.

The communication system answers the call. If the user input was enteredvia a remote control, the communication system facilities the call viathe television by outputting, to the television, video and audioreceived by the network from the remote client device, activating acamera of the communication system to capture video, and transmitting,from the communication system, video and audio over the network to theremote client device. Otherwise, if the user input was a voice command,the communication system facilitates the call via internal speakers anddoes not immediately activate the camera of the communication system.

The communication system requests a state of the television from thetelevision. In response to receiving a response from the televisionindicating that the television is on and the input source of thetelevision is set to the port associated with the communication system,the communication system facilitates the call via the television.Otherwise, if the communication cannot confirm that the television is onand connected to the port associated with the communication systemwithin a predefined time period, the communication system continues tofacilitate the call via the internal speakers. For example, thecommunication system facilitates the call by using the internalmicrophone to capture local audio for transmission over the network andoutputting audio received over the network via the speakers of thecommunication system.

In some embodiments, the communication system may continue to request,from the television, the state of the television intermittentlythroughout the call. In these embodiments, in response to determiningthat the input source of the television is not set to the portassociated with the communication system, the communication systemoutputs the audio received by the network from the remote client devicevia speakers of the communication system. Further, in response todetermining that the input source of the television is again set to theport associated with the communication system, the communication systemoutputs the audio received by the network from the remote client deviceto the television. In addition, in response determining that thetelevision is off, the communication system ends the call.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment for a communicationsystem, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart illustrating a process for facilitating anincoming call using a communication system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart illustrating a process 200 for facilitating anoutgoing call using a communication system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2C is a flowchart illustrating a process 200C taking action to enda video call using a communication system 120, according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate an example use case scenario of using thecommunication system to answer a call via a television, according to oneembodiment.

The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustrationonly. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

System Architecture

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system environment 100 for acommunication system 120. The system environment 100 includes acommunication server 105, one or more client devices 115 (e.g., clientdevices 115A, 115B), a network 110, and a communication system 120. Inalternative configurations, different and/or additional components maybe included in the system environment 100. For example, the systemenvironment 100 may include additional client devices 115, additionalcommunication servers 105, or additional communication systems 120.

In an embodiment, the communication system 120 comprises a computingdevice for coupling to an external media device such as a television orother external display and/or audio output system. In this embodiment,the communication system 120 may couple to the external media device viaa wireless interface or wired interface (e.g., an HDMI cable) and mayutilize various functions of the external media device such as itsdisplay, speakers, and input devices. Here, the communication system 120may be configured to be compatible with a generic external media devicethat does not have specialized software, firmware, or hardwarespecifically for interacting with the communication system 120.

The client devices 115 are one or more computing devices capable ofreceiving user input as well as transmitting and/or receiving data viathe network 110. In one embodiment, a client device 115 is aconventional computer system, such as a desktop or a laptop computer.Alternatively, a client device 115 may be a device having computerfunctionality, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobiletelephone, a smartphone, a tablet, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, avideo conferencing device, another instance of the communication system120, or another suitable device. A client device 115 is configured tocommunicate via the network 110. In one embodiment, a client device 115executes an application allowing a user of the client device 115 tointeract with the communication system 120 by enabling voice calls,video calls, data sharing, or other interactions. For example, a clientdevice 115 executes a browser application to enable interactions betweenthe client device 115 and the communication system 105 via the network110. In another embodiment, a client device 115 interacts with thecommunication system 105 through an application running on a nativeoperating system of the client device 115, such as IOS® or ANDROID™.

The communication server 105 facilitates communications of the clientdevices 115 and the communication system 120 over the network 110. Forexample, the communication server 105 may facilitate connections betweenthe communication system 120 and a client device 115 when a voice orvideo call is requested. Additionally, the communication server 105 maycontrol access of the communication system 120 to various externalapplications or services available over the network 110. In anembodiment, the communication server 105 may provide updates to thecommunication system 120 when new versions of software or firmwarebecome available. In other embodiments, various functions describedbelow as being attributed to the communication system 120 can instead beperformed entirely or in part on the communication server 105. Forexample, in some embodiments, various processing or storage tasks may beoffloaded from the communication system 120 and instead performed on thecommunication server 120.

The network 110 may comprise any combination of local area and/or widearea networks, using wired and/or wireless communication systems. In oneembodiment, the network 110 uses standard communications technologiesand/or protocols. For example, the network 110 includes communicationlinks using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11 (WiFi), worldwideinteroperability for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, 5G, code divisionmultiple access (CDMA), digital subscriber line (DSL), Bluetooth, NearField Communication (NFC), Universal Serial Bus (USB), or anycombination of protocols. In some embodiments, all or some of thecommunication links of the network 110 may be encrypted using anysuitable technique or techniques.

The communication system 120 includes one or more user input devices122, a microphone sub-system 124, a camera sub-system 126, a networkinterface 128, a processor 130, a storage medium 150, a media deviceinterface 160, and a speaker sub-system 162. In other embodiments, thecommunication system 120 may include additional, fewer, or differentcomponents.

The user input device 122 comprises hardware that enables a user tointeract with the communication system 120. The user input device 122can comprise, for example, a touchscreen interface, a game controller, akeyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a voice command controller, a gesturerecognition controller, a remote control receiver, or other inputdevice. In an embodiment, the user input device 122 may include a remotecontrol device that is physically separate from the user input device122 and interacts with a remote controller receiver (e.g., an infrared(IR) or other wireless receiver) that may integrated with or otherwiseconnected to the communication system 120. In some embodiments, the userinput device 122 is integrated with an internal display, such as in atouchscreen interface. In other embodiments, user inputs may be receivedover the network 110 from a client device 115. For example, anapplication executing on a client device 115 may send commands over thenetwork 110 to control the communication system 120 based on userinteractions with the client device 115. In other embodiments, the userinput device 122 may include a port (e.g., an HDMI port) connected to anexternal television that enables user inputs to be received from thetelevision responsive to user interactions with an input device of thetelevision. For example, the television may send user input commands tothe communication system 120 via a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC)protocol based on user inputs received by the television.

The microphone sub-system 124 comprises one or more microphones (orconnections to external microphones) that capture ambient audio signalsby converting sound into electrical signals that can be stored orprocessed by other components of the communication system 120. Thecaptured audio signals may be transmitted to the client devices 115during a voice/video call or in a voice/video message. Additionally, thecaptured audio signals may be processed to identify voice commands forcontrolling functions of the communication system 120. In an embodiment,the microphone sub-system 124 comprises one or more integratedmicrophones. Alternatively, the microphone sub-system 124 may comprisean external microphone coupled to the communication system 120 via acommunication link (e.g., the network 110 or other direct communicationlink). The microphone sub-system 124 may comprise a single microphone oran array of microphones. In the case of a microphone array, themicrophone sub-system 124 may process audio signals from multiplemicrophones to generate one or more beamformed audio channels eachassociated with a particular direction (or range of directions).

The camera sub-system 126 comprises one or more cameras (or connectionsto one or more external cameras) that captures images and/or videosignals. The captured images or video may be sent to the client device115 during a video call or in a multimedia message, or may be stored orprocessed by other components of the communication system 120.Furthermore, in an embodiment, images or video from the camerasub-system 126 may be processed to for face detection, face recognition,gesture recognition, or other information that may be utilized tocontrol functions of the communication system 120. In an embodiment, thecamera sub-system 126 includes one or more wide-angle cameras forcapturing a wide, panoramic, or spherical field of view of a surroundingenvironment. The camera sub-system 126 may include integrated processingto stitch together images from multiple cameras, or to perform imageprocessing functions such as zooming, panning, de-warping, or otherfunctions. In an embodiment, the camera sub-system 126 may includemultiple cameras positioned to capture stereoscopic (e.g.,three-dimensional images) or may include a depth camera to capture depthvalues for pixels in the captured images or video.

The network interface 128 facilitates connection of the communicationsystem 120 to the network 110. For example, the network interface 130may include software and/or hardware that facilitates communication ofvoice, video, and/or other data signals with one or more client devices115 to enable voice and video calls or other operation of variousapplications executing on the communication system 120. The networkinterface 128 may operate according to any conventional wired orwireless communication protocols that enable it to communication overthe network 110.

The media device interface 160 comprises an interface to an electronicdevice for presenting images, video, and/or audio content. For example,the media device interface 160 comprises one or more ports (e.g., anHDMI port) that couple the communication system 120 to an externaldisplay device (e.g., a television) and/or external speakers. In anembodiment, the communication system 120 may comprise an integrateddisplay in addition to the media device interface 160 connected to theexternal television 180 and the speaker sub-system 162. The externalspeakers may be integrated with the television or may comprise separatespeakers. The communication system 120 also includes an internal speakersub-system 162, which comprises one or more speakers that output audiosignals.

The processor 130 operates in conjunction with the storage medium 150(e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) to carry outvarious functions attributed to the communication system 120 describedherein. For example, the storage medium 150 may store one or moremodules or applications (e.g., user interface 152, communication module154, user applications 156, state detection module 158) embodied asinstructions executable by the processor 130. The instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor 130 to carry out thefunctions attributed to the various modules or applications describedherein. In an embodiment, the processor 130 may comprise a singleprocessor or a multi-processor system.

In an embodiment, the storage medium 150 comprises a user interfacemodule 152, a communication module 154, user applications, and statedetection module 158. In alternative embodiments, the storage medium 150may comprise different or additional components.

The user interface module 152 comprises visual and/or audio elements andcontrols for enabling user interaction with the communication system120. For example, the user interface module 152 may receive inputs fromthe user input device 122 to enable the user to select various functionsof the communication system 120. In an example embodiment, the userinterface module 152 includes a calling interface to enable thecommunication system 120 to make or receive voice and/or video callsover the network 110. To make a call, the user interface module 152 mayprovide controls to enable a user to select one or more contacts forcalling, to initiate the call, to control various functions during thecall, and to end the call. To receive a call, the user interface module152 may provide controls to enable a user to accept an incoming call, tocontrol various functions during the call, and to end the call. Forvideo calls, the user interface module 152 may include a video callinterface that displays remote video from a client 115 together withvarious control elements such as volume control, an end call control, orvarious controls relating to how the received video is displayed or thereceived audio is outputted.

The user interface module 152 may furthermore enable a user to accessuser applications 156 or to control various settings of thecommunication system 120. In an embodiment, the user interface module152 may enable customization of the user interface according to userpreferences. Here, the user interface module 152 may store differentpreferences for different users of the communication system 120 and mayadjust settings depending on the current user.

The communication module 154 facilitates communications of thecommunication system 120 with clients 115 for voice and/or video calls.For example, the communication module 154 may maintain a directory ofcontacts and facilitate connections to those contacts in response tocommands from the user interface module 152 to initiate a call.Furthermore, the communication module 154 may receive indications ofincoming calls and interact with the user interface module 152 tofacilitate reception of the incoming call. The communication module 154may furthermore process incoming and outgoing voice and/or video signalsduring calls to maintain a robust connection and to facilitate variousin-call functions.

The user applications 156 comprise one or more applications that may beaccessible by a user via the user interface module 152 to facilitatevarious functions of the communication system 120. For example, the userapplications 156 may include a web browser for browsing web pages on theInternet, a picture viewer for viewing images, a media playback systemfor playing video or audio files, an intelligent virtual assistant forperforming various tasks or services in response to user requests, orother applications for performing various functions. In an embodiment,the user applications 156 includes a social networking application thatenables integration of the communication system 120 with a user's socialnetworking account. Here, for example, the communication system 120 mayobtain various information from the user's social networking account tofacilitate a more personalized user experience. Furthermore, thecommunication system 120 can enable the user to directly interact withthe social network by viewing or creating posts, accessing feeds,interacting with friends, etc. Additionally, based on the userpreferences, the social networking application may facilitate retrievalof various alerts or notifications that may be of interest to the userrelating to activity on the social network. In an embodiment, users mayadd or remove applications 156 to customize operation of thecommunication system 120.

The control module 158 controls other components of the communicationsystem 120 to answer and facilitate calls between the communicationsystem 120 and a remote client device 115. Further, the control module158 communicates with the television 180 by sending commands to thetelevision 180 to control the state of the television 180 and/or detectthe state of the television 180. The control module 158 also takesactions with respect to calls between the communication system 120 andclient devices 115 depending on a detected state of the television 180.

In an embodiment, the control module 158 controls the output of audioand video signals received via the network 110 from one or more clientdevices 115, and controls the capture and transmission of audio andvideo obtained locally by the communication system 120 based on adetected state of the television 180 during a call or when a call isbeing initiated or answered. In some embodiments, if the control module158 cannot confirm that the television 180 is configured in a state thatenables it to output a video call using the television 180, the controlmodule 158 facilitates the call as an audio-only call using the speakersub-system 162 of the communication system 120. For example, the controlmodule 158 directs the audio signals received from the remote clientdevice to the speaker sub-system 162 of the communication system 120 andcaptures audio using the microphone sub-system 124 for transmission overthe network 110 to the remote client device 115. The control module 158furthermore deactivates the local camera sub-system 126 so that no videois captured or transmitted in this state. If the control module 158instead successfully verifies that the television 180 is on and set tothe input source corresponding to the port of the communication system120, the control module 158 facilitates the call as a video call usingthe external television 180. Particularly, the control module 158directs the audio and video signals received over the network 110 to theconnected television 180, activates the camera sub-system 126, andtransmits captured audio and video the remote client device 115.

The control module 158 also sends commands to the television 180 tochange a state of the television 180 in response to a call beinginitiated or received. For example, the control module 158 can sendcommands to turn on the television 180, to change the input source ofthe television 180 to correspond to a port associated with thecommunication system 120, or to request a state of the television (e.g.,the on/off state of the television, the configured input source, orother information) to enable the control module 158 to determine if thecommands were successfully executed. In an embodiment, the commands maybe sent via a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) protocol via an HDMIlink.

In an embodiment, the control module 158 may intermittently sendrequests to the television 180 to obtain its state throughout a call atset time increments. In some embodiments, the control module 158 sends arequest for the state of the television 180 if an external device orsource has changed the state of the television 180. In other alternativeembodiments, the control module 158 may detect a state of the televisionwithout necessarily communicating commands to the television 180. Forexample, the communication system 120 may acoustically detect the stateof the television 180 by capturing ambient audio and comparing thecaptured audio to an audio signal send to the television 180, therebyenabling the communication system 120 to detect whether the television180 is actually playing the outputted audio.

In some embodiments, the control module 158 takes action with respect tocalls based on the detected state of the television 180. For example, inone embodiment, if the control module 158 detects that the television180 is turned off during a call (or can otherwise not verify that thetelevision 180 is still on), the control module 158 takes action to endthe call. In other embodiments, if the control module 158 detects thatthe input source of the television 180 does not match the port of thecommunication system 120 during a call, the control module 158 mayswitch the audio for the call to the speaker sub-system 162 of thecommunication system 120 instead of outputting the audio to the speakers184 of the television 180. Here, the communication system 120 mayoptionally continue to output video to the television 180 or maydiscontinue outputting video until the television is switched back tothe correct input source.

In the system environment of FIG. 1, the communication system 120connects to a television 180 for visual display and audio output. Thetelevision 180 includes a display 182, a speaker 184, and a plurality ofinput ports 186 (e.g., input port 186A, 186B, 186C). The television 180may receive audio and video signals from the communication system viaone of the input ports 186, output the audio signals using the speaker184, and output video signals using the display 182. For example, thecommunication system 120 may interface with the television 180 forvarious purposes including conducting voice/video calls, displayingmedia content, and playing audio content, like music, podcasts, andalerts, among other functions. The input ports 186 may be wired portssuch as a USB port, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, etc. or wirelessports for communicating according to a wireless protocol such asBluetooth, Wireless USB, Near Field Communication (NFC), etc. Differentdevices may be coupled to the television 180 via different ports 186.The television 180 can switch between different ports 186 as an inputsource to control which port 186 (and connected device) provides theaudio and video signals to the television 180 for outputting.

The television 180 outputs audio and video signals based on its state(or internal settings) that includes a description of its input. Forexample, the television may output signals from the communication systemwhen set to a HDMI1 and output signals from a cable provider when set toHDMI2.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart illustrating a process 200A for facilitating anincoming call using a communication system 120, according to oneembodiment. The communication system 120 receives 210 a request toestablish an incoming video call between the communication system 120and a remote client device 115 via a network 110. In some embodiments,the call may be another type of communication session facilitated by thecommunication system 120. The communication system 120 receives 215 auser input to answer the video call. For example, a user may send acommand to cause the communication system 120 to answer an incomingcall. The command may comprise, for example, a voice command that thecommunication system 120 detects using the microphone sub-system 124 ora command sent via an input device, such as a remote control connectedto the television 180. The communication system 120 sends 220 a commandto the television 180 to turn on and set the input source of thetelevision 180 to a port associated with the communication system 120.

The communication system facilitates the video call based on the type ofuser input 230. If the user input was entered via a remote control, thecommunication system 120 assumes that the state of the television 180would enable the video call and facilitates 240 the video call via thetelevision 180. To facilitate 240 the video call, the communicationsystem 120 outputs video and audio received by the network 110 from theremote client device 115 to the television 180. The communication system180 also activates the camera sub-system 126 of the communication system120 to capture video and transmits video and audio captured by themicrophone sub-system 124 over the network 110 to the remote clientdevice 115.

If the user input was a voice command, the communication system 120facilitates 250 the video call initially using the speaker sub-system162 of the communication system 120 without activating the camerasub-system 126. For example, the communication system 120 outputs thereceived network audio via the speaker sub-system 162 of thecommunication system 120 and transmits audio captured by the microphonesub-system 124 over the network 110 to the remote client device 115without capturing and transmitting video.

The communication system 120 determines 260 whether a state of thetelevision enables a video call. For example, the communication system120 determines whether the television 180 is on or off and to whichinput source the television 180 is connected. For example, thecommunication system 120 may send a polling command to the television180 to request its on/off state and input source setting. In response todetermining that the state of the television enables it to facilitate avideo call, the communication system facilitates 240 the video callusing speakers 184 and display 182 of the television 180. For example,in an embodiment, the communication system 120 confirms the state of thetelevision 180 by receiving a response from the television 180 that thetelevision 180 is on and the input source of the television 180 is setto the port associated with the communication system 120.

In response to the communication system 120 being unable to determine260 that the television 180 in the state that enables a video call, thecommunication system 120 continues to facilitate 250 the video call asusing the speaker sub-system 162 of the communication system 120 withoutactivating the camera sub-system 126. In an embodiment, thecommunication system 120 may continue to facilitate 250 the call withoutactivating the local camera 126 either in response to affirmativelydetermining that the television is not configured appropriately (iseither not on or not connected to the appropriate input source) or inresponse to the communication system 120 being unable to verify thestate within a threshold amount of time of requesting the state.Further, in some embodiments, the user may configure the communicationsystem 120 to opt out of video calls entirely. For example, the user maymanually deactivate the camera sub-stem 126 and answer call with audioonly.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart illustrating a process 200B for facilitating anoutgoing call using a communication system 120, according to oneembodiment. The communication system 120 receives 270 a request toestablish an outgoing video call with a remote client device 115 via anetwork 110. For example, a user may send a command to cause thecommunication system 120 to initiate a new outgoing call. The commandmay comprise, for example, a voice command that the communication system120 detects using the microphone sub-system 124 or a command sent via aninput device, such as a remote control connected to the television 180.

The communication system 120 sends 220 a command to the television 180to turn on and set the input source of the television 180 to a portassociated with the communication system 120. The communication system120 determines 260 whether a state of the television enables a videocall. If the state does enable video calls (i.e., the television 180 ison and the input source of the television 180 is set to the portassociated with the communication system 120), the communication system120 facilitates 240 the video call using the speakers 184 and display182 of the television 180. In particular, the communication system 120outputs video and audio received by the network 110 from the remoteclient device 115 to the television 180. The communication system 180also activates the camera sub-system 126 of the communication system 120to capture video and transmits video and audio captured by themicrophone sub-system 124 over the network 110 to the remote clientdevice 115.

If the state does not enable a video call (i.e., the television 180 isnot on or the input source of the television 180 is not set to the portassociated with the communication system 120), the communication system120 facilities 250 the video call using the speaker sub-system 162 ofthe communication system 120 without activating the camera sub-system126. The communication system 120 continues to determine 260 whether thestate of the television 180 enable a video call. If the state doesenable a video call, the communication system 120 switches tofacilitating 240 the video call via the television 180, and if not, thecommunication system 120 continues to facilitate 250 the video callusing the speaker sub-system 162 of the communication system 120 withoutactivating the camera sub-system 126.

FIG. 2C is a flowchart illustrating a process 200C taking action to enda video call using a communication system 120, according to oneembodiment. This may be for an incoming video call as shown in FIG. 2Aor an outgoing video call as shown in FIG. 2B. The communication system120 requests the state of the television 180 intermittently throughoutthe call to determine 260 if the state enables a video call. If thecommunication system 120 determines that the television 180 is off orthat the state otherwise does not enable a video call, the communicationsystem 120 takes 280 action to end the call. Otherwise, thecommunication system 120 continues to facilitate 240 the video call viathe television 180.

Further, if the communication system 120 does not receive a responsefrom the television 180 within a threshold amount of time of requestingthe state or otherwise cannot verify that the television 180 is stillon, the communication system may take 280 action to end the call. If thecommunication system 120 determines that the television 180 has switchedinput sources, the communication system 120 outputs audio received bythe network 110 from the remote client device 115 via the speakersub-system 162 of the communication system 120 (instead of sending tothe television 180) but may continue capturing local video via thecamera sub-system 126 and transmitting the video to the remote clientdevice 115. Subsequently, if the communication system 120 detects thatthe input source of the television 180 again corresponds to the portassociated with the communication system 120, the communication system120 returns to outputting the network audio from the remote clientdevice 115 to the television 180.

Example Use Case

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate an example use case scenario of using thecommunication system 120 to answer a call, according to one embodiment.In FIG. 3A, user 300 of a communication system 120 connected to atelevision 180 may receive or initiate a call via a communication system120. In the case of an incoming call, the communication system 120 mayring 310 to signal to the user 300 that the call is incoming from aremote client device 115. As shown in FIG. 3B, the user 300 may send auser input 320 to the communication system 120 indicating a user intentto answer the call. The user input 320 may be a form of voicecommunication or another input to the communication system 120. Thecommunication system 120 sends a command to the television 180 to turnon and set the input source to the port associated with thecommunication system 120.

If the user input 320 was a voice command, the communication system 120facilitates the call by outputting an audio output 330A for the call viathe communication system without activating the camera sub-system 126,as shown in FIG. 3C. The communication system 120 requests the state ofthe television and if the communication system 120 cannot confirm thatthe television 180 is on and set to the appropriate input source, thecommunication system 120 continues to facilitate the call using speakersub-system 162 and does not activate camera sub-system 126. If thecommunication system 120 has verified that the television 180 is on andset to the input source corresponding to the port associated with thecommunication system 120, the communication system outputs a videooutput 340 and the audio output 330B to the television 180, activatesthe camera sub-system 126, and transmits video and audio to the remoteclient device 115 via a network 110, as shown in FIG. 3D. Further, ifthe user input was entered via a remote control, the communicationsystem 120 automatically facilitates the call via the television 180with the camera sub-system 126 enabled, as shown in FIG. 3D.

Additional Considerations

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been presented for thepurpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe patent rights to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in therelevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations arepossible in light of the above disclosure.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information.These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used bythose skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance oftheir work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations,while described functionally, computationally, or logically, areunderstood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalentelectrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has alsoproven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of operationsas modules, without loss of generality. The described operations andtheir associated modules may be embodied in software, firmware,hardware, or any combinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments may also relate to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, and/or it may comprise a general-purpose computingdevice selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer programstored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in anon-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium, or any typeof media suitable for storing electronic instructions, which may becoupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, any computing systemsreferred to in the specification may include a single processor or maybe architectures employing multiple processor designs for increasedcomputing capability.

Embodiments may also relate to a product that is produced by a computingprocess described herein. Such a product may comprise informationresulting from a computing process, where the information is stored on anon-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium and mayinclude any embodiment of a computer program product or other datacombination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the patent rights. It istherefore intended that the scope of the patent rights be limited not bythis detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of thepatent rights, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at acommunication device, a request to establish a call between thecommunication device and a remote client device via a network; sending acommand to a television connected to the communication device, whereinthe command instructs the television to begin playing the call;determining that the television is unavailable to play the call; inresponse to determining that the television is unavailable to play thecall: outputting, via internal speakers of the communication device, theaudio received by the network from the remote client device,transmitting, from the communication device, audio over the network tothe remote client device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving arequest to establish a call between the communication device and aremote client device via a network comprises: receiving a user input,wherein the user input is a voice command indicating to answer the call.3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the television isunavailable to play the call comprises: receiving no response from thetelevision to the command instructing the television to begin playingthe call.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: requesting, fromthe television, the state of the television intermittently throughoutthe call; and in response to receiving a response from the televisionindicating that the input source of the television is set to the portassociated with the communication device: outputting, to the television,video and audio received by the network from the remote client device,activating a camera to capture video, and transmitting, from thecommunication device, video and audio over the network to the remoteclient device; and
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: inresponse to determining that the input source of the television is setto the port associated with the communication device, outputting, to thetelevision, the audio received by the network from the remote clientdevice.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: requesting, fromthe television, the state of the television intermittently throughoutthe call; and in response to receiving a response from the televisionindicating that the television is off, ending the call.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: responsive to receiving a user inputentered via a remote control indicating to answer the call: outputting,to the television, video and audio received by the network from theremote client device; activating the camera of the communication deviceto capture video; and transmitting, from the communication device, videoand audio over the network to the remote client device.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the television is on and the input source of thetelevision is set to the port associated with the communication devicewhen the television is configured for video output from thecommunication device.
 9. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing executable instructions that, when executed by acommunication device with a camera and speakers, cause the communicationdevice to perform the steps: receiving a request to establish a callbetween the communication device and a remote client device via anetwork; sending a command to a television connected to thecommunication device, wherein the command instructs the television tobegin playing the call; determining that the television is unavailableto play the call; in response to determining that the television isunavailable to play the call: outputting, via internal speakers of thecommunication device, the audio received by the network from the remoteclient device, transmitting, from the communication device, audio overthe network to the remote client device.
 10. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein receiving a requestto establish a call between the communication device and a remote clientdevice via a network comprises: receiving a user input, wherein the userinput is a voice command indicating to answer the call.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, whereindetermining that the television is unavailable to play the callcomprises: receiving no response from the television to the commandinstructing the television to begin playing the call.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein theinstructions further cause the communication device to perform thesteps: requesting, from the television, the state of the televisionintermittently throughout the call; and in response to receiving aresponse from the television indicating that the input source of thetelevision is set to the port associated with the communication device:outputting, to the television, video and audio received by the networkfrom the remote client device, activating a camera to capture video, andtransmitting, from the communication device, video and audio over thenetwork to the remote client device.
 13. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructionsfurther cause the communication device to perform the step: in responseto determining that the input source of the television is set to theport associated with the communication device, outputting, to thetelevision, the audio received by the network from the remote clientdevice.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim9, wherein the instructions further cause the communication device toperform the steps: requesting, from the television, the state of thetelevision intermittently throughout the call; and in response toreceiving a response from the television indicating that the televisionis off, ending the call.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause thecommunication device to perform the steps: responsive to receiving auser input entered via a remote control indicating to answer the call:outputting, to the television, video and audio received by the networkfrom the remote client device; activating the camera of thecommunication device to capture video; and transmitting, from thecommunication device, video and audio over the network to the remoteclient device.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof claim 9, wherein the television is on and the input source of thetelevision is set to the port associated with the communication devicewhen the television is configured for video output from thecommunication device.
 17. A communication device comprising: at leastone camera; one or more speakers; one or more processors; and memorystoring one or more programs which, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the communication device to perform the steps:receiving a request to establish a call between the communication deviceand a remote client device via a network; sending a command to atelevision connected to the communication device, wherein the commandinstructs the television to begin playing the call; determining that thetelevision is unavailable to play the call; in response to determiningthat the television is unavailable to play the call: outputting, viainternal speakers of the communication device, the audio received by thenetwork from the remote client device, transmitting, from thecommunication device, audio over the network to the remote clientdevice.
 18. The communication device of claim 17, wherein receiving arequest to establish a call between the communication device and aremote client device via a network comprises: receiving a user input,wherein the user input is a voice command indicating to answer the call.19. The communication device of claim 17, wherein determining that thetelevision is unavailable to play the call comprises: receiving noresponse from the television to the command instructing the televisionto begin playing the call.
 20. The communication device of claim 17,wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, further cause the communication device to perform the steps:requesting, from the television, the state of the televisionintermittently throughout the call; and in response to receiving aresponse from the television indicating that the input source of thetelevision is set to the port associated with the communication device:outputting, to the television, video and audio received by the networkfrom the remote client device, activating a camera to capture video, andtransmitting, from the communication device, video and audio over thenetwork to the remote client device.